School news roundup

Thursday

Feb 27, 2014 at 3:15 AM

MILTON

by Casey Wachowiak

This year, the Nute girls have made an amazing turnaround in Nute's basketball history. They used to be known for losing, but as I go to press, the girls are 13-5, with a few blow-out games: 73-39 against PCA and 55-36 against Derryfield! Several of our won games had a five to ten point spread.

As a member of the basketball team, I don't expect easy practices or easy games. During games, we put up a fight, and we never stop working the 32 minutes that we are on the court.

“The girls haven't stopped,” Coach Jane Weymouth reported. “They believe in each other. The girls on the basketball team think that it is surreal that they are winning.”

Donlon holds the Nute High School record for most points scored in girls' basketball.

The girls have one game left against Lin-Wood, which should be an easy win, for Nute beat Lin-Wood 62 to 30 in their last match. Going into the playoffs, the girls' final record should be 14-5-0, so they are already in the tournament and will have the home court advantage in their first tournament game.

“All I want is for my girls to make it to the Final Four,” Weymouth stated. We have the talent on the team and the potential. If we put it all together we could go to the Final Four.

ROCHESTER

Ms. Kronenberg's second grade at School Street School has been investigating the states of matter. They started off discovering properties of solids and moved on to building with solids. This week they started investigation liquids and their properties. They have been practicing partial sum addition and trade first subtraction in math.

They have also worked hard building arrays to begin multiplication. In reading they have been reading books in the non-fiction genre. They can tell you the life cycle of a pumpkin and are reading about frogs currently.

by Jenna Loporcaro

Grade 5

This is the fourth in a series of articles on what's going on at McClelland School in Rochester. You will hear about many more events and activities throughout the rest of the school year. Here are some of the events and activities that our teachers and staff wanted to bring to your attention:

School news

Jump Rope for the Heart — Mr. Hyzer, our physical education teacher, organized a fundraiser for earlier this month. The Jump Rope for the Heart program allowed students the opportunity to participate in a healthy cardio activity, while learning about heart disease and raising awareness on how to maintain a heart-healthy lifestyle. The funds that were raised went to fight heart disease, so this program was a tremendous success! Congratulations to everyone who participated!

McClelland Drama Club will be presenting Disney's musical “The Jungle Book, kids” on Friday, March 7 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 8 at 1 p.m. in our multi-purpose room. Come see the jungle come to life with music and dancing. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $5 for adults and $2 for children under 12.

The Rochester School Department is applying for a 21st Century Community Learning Grant. Working with the Rochester Housing Authority and the Rochester Child Care Center, the school department is hopeful that receiving such a grant will allow for expanded academic and recreational components in the afterschool programs for those Rochester schools that participate. If you have any questions/comments regarding the grant process, please contact Mr. Stephen LeClair, Title 1 Director at leclair.s@rochesterschools.com.

Our annual Magazine Drive will kick off on March 4. This fundraiser will run until March 17. Keep an eye out for order forms when we return from our winter break. This fundraiser is a great way to get some great magazines at great prices and it benefits our school!

The 5th grade classes are currently learning about the Renaissance Period, with projects related to historical figures from this period, such as Leonardo Da Vinci. (So far, it's been pretty interesting!) They are also working on math functions such as the median, mean and mode for a given set of numbers.

Winter break runs from Feb. 24 through 28. Time for everyone to enjoy a well deserved break! While on break, don't forget to fill in your Mighty Reader sheet. When you return it after break (by Wednesday, March 5) with 15 or more boxes completed you will get a certificate and some Mighty recognition. Another great reading program you could complete over break is the Fisher Cat Reading Challenge. It is a great way to get tickets to a game. Just read five books and send in your form for two free tickets! Remember to continue to study your math facts as well!

Well, that's all for now from McClelland. I will have more exciting news for you about our school in two weeks!

Sports

On Thursday, Feb. 20, the Grade 7 Girls Basketball Team completed its season, hosting Dover Middle School. Coach Knox had this to say about the game, “Congrats on an awesome display of teamwork, timely 3-pointers, key steals, well-timed foul shooting, and clutch ball-handling skills. Dover was hit with the Pack score the first 10 points before they could score their first two. Our girls would not let their top two scorers close to the basket. Defense, rebounding, and the will to not quit played a tremendous role in the team's last game of the season. RMS won, 29-25. Thanks for a great season, girls. Coach Knox loved coaching each and every one of you.”

The Grade 7 Boys Team traveled to Dover on Thursday. Coach Rouleau sent this report, “Congratulations to the team on finishing their season with an impressive 44-26 victory vs. Dover. RMS ended the season with a 12-4 record, playing a complete game on Thursday. Coach Rouleau would like to thank each young man for their hard work and great attitude. Great job, men.”

Clubs and Organizations

A reminder that the National Junior Honor Society will be sponsoring a Reverse Bake Sale during their annual March Food Drive: anyone participating in the drive is asked to bring in a canned or dry food item to exchange for a baked good at the NJHS table during lunch. Monetary donations will also be accepted. Food items and donations will go to benefit Gerry's Food Pantry. The table will be set up Tuesdays and Thursdays in March, Mar. 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, and 20.

Feb. 17 to 21 marked Spirit Week at Rochester Middle School, sponsored by the Student Council. At the end of the week, the Council distributed a reward bag with fun items in it to each team. Teams awarded the items, pompoms and stress balls, to five students who demonstrated the most spirit during this past spirit week. Congratulations to Becca Bahlert, Addison Kerkensen, Hannah Bieniek, Grace Rouleau, and Ben Caplette on the Dartmouth College Team.

Calendar

March 11: Book Club meeting

March 13: Progress Report #5 handed out

March 13: Grade 8 Family Night at RMS, 5 – 7 PM

March 14: Teacher Workshop Day, no school for students

March 17-21: Spring Book Fair

DOVER

On Wednesday, March 19 at 7 p.m., St. Thomas Aquinas High School will host a Spring Open House for prospective students and their families.

The rigorous curriculum at St. Thomas Aquinas is rich and deep, preparing students for life beyond high school. With high expectations, students are challenged to do more than is required, to think, to debate. They are provided support and encouragement to meet these expectations, nurtured in an environment that will transform their lives spiritually, academically, and socially.

At St. Thomas Aquinas, athletics and extracurricular activities are abundant and central to the overall experience, be it Jazz Band, Model United Nations, Campus Ministry, Drama Club or the Lacrosse Team. The “what” is not as important as the joining, the doing, and the connecting with one another. For many, becoming involved in these activities becomes the defining memories of one's high school career.

At Open House, families will have the opportunity to tour the campus, learn about programs, and meet with students, faculty and other members of the St. Thomas Aquinas community in a small, intimate setting. Open House is a great way to discover St. Thomas Aquinas High School and why it's such an exciting time to be a Saint!

To learn more, visit the school website at www.stalux.org/admissions or contact the Admissions Office at (603) 742-3206.